Ice Cream
by lovinMaya
Summary: Lily's getting over a breakup, and she needs some delicious ice cream to help. What does she get instead? Muggle!AU. For the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition.


**A/N:** Hi! This is written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction for the Montrose Magpies. The prompt was Muggle!AU, and the optional prompts were "Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience." -Victoria Holt, easier, and delicious. I hope I've done a good job with this. If I have or if I haven't let me know!

~Maya

* * *

**Ice Cream**

The ice cream parlor was teeming with customers, and Mr. Florean Fortescue was practically yelling over the commotion. Sixteen-year-old Lily Evans strolled in one summer afternoon and took a seat at her favorite spot on the bar.

"Lily!" cried Mr. Fortescue enthusiastically. One thing everyone loved about Mr. Fortescue was that he was always attentive to his customers on a friendly level. "The usual today?"

"Eh," she said, shrugging. "I dunno. Today I'm craving something a little more…delicious."

"Craving, is it?" he said knowingly. "Did you break up with that tosser Amos Diggory?"

"How'd you know?" she said, startled.

"I've seen that breakup sadness in many girls' eyes when they come in here. Wanna tell me what happened?" he asked, looking through ice cream flavors to find what Lily needed.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I guess it was just…difficult. Love is supposed to be easy, isn't it?"

"Oh, I don't know about that," said Mr. Fortescue thoughtfully. "It's not supposed to be _hard_, but it's definitely work, you know what I mean?"

"It has to be easier than how it was with Amos," said Lily firmly.

Just then, the door opened and in clambered four boisterous boys, all laughing raucously. Three of them took a booth while one, a boy with messy black hair and round glasses, strode up to the bar and grinned at Mr. Fortescue. This boy was one Lily recognized, but only as the bully from Amos's school who had asked her out once or twice, in overly confident ways. At the moment, his name slipped her mind. All that she noticed was that he looked—there was no other way to put it—_delicious_. With sharp cheekbones and a dazzling smile, hair that fell attractively all around his face, and hazel eyes alight with mischief, the boy had Lily staring, wanting to devour him.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," said Mr. Fortescue. "What'll it be today?"

James Potter, Lily remembered. She'd always found that to be an attractive name, but his extensive bullying was too big a turnoff for her to look at it that way.

"Two strawberry pops, one mint chocolate chip scoop in a cup, two double fudge chocolate scoops in a sugar cone," he recited, smiling again.

"I take it the last one is for Mr. Black?" asked Mr. Fortescue knowingly.

Sirius Black was another name Lily was familiar with. Everyone in her school talked about him as the boy who'd been disowned by his abusive, filthy rich family for dating a girl beneath their standards. He was also the boy who came to school with perfectly styled hair, clothes, looks, and body. Based on the way girls swooned at the mere mention of his name, Lily found herself extremely grateful that she attended an all-girls school while this foursome attended the all-boys school.

"Yeah, it is," said James, smirking.

"You should probably tell him not to eat that much sugar," Lily quipped. "It'll mess up his figure."

Amused, James looked around at Lily. "Aren't you Diggory's girlfriend?"

"Ex-girlfriend," she clarified, reveling privately in her success to keep the sadness out of her voice.

"So you're on the market, then?" said James, grinning at her.

"Shut up, Potter," she said witheringly. "Mr. Fortescue, could I have my ice cream, now, please?"

"Of course, Lily," he said. "I hope this is delicious enough for you."

It wasn't.

* * *

Days went by, then weeks. Lily found herself coming into Florean Fortescue's parlor more and more often, demanding different flavors in different combinations.

"They say it's supposed to get easier, isn't it?" she said desperately one day, licking a cone of chocolate ice cream.

"It is, Lily, it is," said Mr. Fortescue reassuringly. "Just give it more time."

But no matter how much time Lily gave it, she couldn't get over that horrible lonely feeling that consumed her every night as she tried to get to sleep.

* * *

One day, in Mr. Fortescue's parlor, she saw James Potter and his friends again. The other day, she'd heard one of her friends mentioning that James had beaten up an older boy for picking on an eleven-year-old kid.

"The usual, Mr. Potter?" called Mr. Fortescue.

"Yeah, two strawberry pops, the double chocolate fudge thing, but I'll have what Lily's having," said James casually.

Lily looked up at him in surprise. "I haven't decided what I'm having yet," she said, confused.

"Yeah, but I have," he said, shrugging. "I'm having what you're having. So you better pick something delicious."

With a groan, Lily dropped her head into her hands. "There's nothing delicious enough to make this easier!" she wailed.

"Hey, hey," said James, alarmed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't—I thought it was just a laugh—"

"No, no," Lily mumbled, wiping her eyes. "I'm just…I've got to go."

She picked up her book bag and exited the shop, but within moments she heard footsteps running behind her.

"Lily, wait!" James was calling.

Lily stopped in her tracks. "What?" she demanded.

Panting, he came up to her and looked right into her eyes. The mischievous glint in his eye was gone, replaced by a concerned, caring look. And then he kissed her.

It was positively smoldering, amazing, and—Lily could not believe it—_delicious_. She responded enthusiastically, threading her fingers into his messy black hair, and his hands made their way up her back. When he released her, she let out a slow breath.

"Would you go out with me, Lily?" he murmured, his eyes closed.

"I-I guess I will," she said quietly.

* * *

Two weeks later, Lily and James came into Mr. Fortescue's parlor, holding hands.

"Thank you," Lily said softly.

Confused, James looked down at her. "What? For what?"

"You know," she said, blushing. "For-for making it easier."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"After-er-after Amos, I couldn't move on," she explained. "But it's easier with you. _You_ made it easier."

James smiled and squeezed her hand. "My pleasure, Miss Evans," he said.

"I just can't help…I dunno…regretting all that time I was unhappy," she sighed.

"You shouldn't regret," said James wisely. "Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience."

Lily sat on her bar stool quietly, pondering what her new boyfriend had just said. "That's beautiful, James. Who knew you were a philosopher?"

Sheepishly, James said, "It's a quote."

"What?" Lily laughed. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "Victoria Holt. You know, Eleanor Hibbert?"

"James!" she cried, shoving him playfully. "Were you gonna tell me?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed.

She cocked an eyebrow skeptically.

James grinned. "No, no I wasn't."

Laughing, she hugged him around his waist and rested her head on his chest, thankful for her wonderful, delicious boyfriend.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed it:)


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